Donald Trump doesn’t think Russia meddled in 2016

"Russia continues to say they had nothing to do with Meddling in our Election!," Trump tweeted at 7:25 a.m. "Where is the DNC Server, and why didn't Shady James Comey and the now disgraced FBI agents take and closely examine it? Why isn't Hillary/Russia being looked at? So many questions, so much corruption!" A half hour later, the White House announced that Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin would meet in Helsinki, Finland on July 16. But coincidence or not, the twin events of Thursday morning serve as a very important reminder: Donald Trump appears to not believe that Russia not only actively interfered in the 2016 election but did so with the express goal of helping Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.  That is, of course, the unanimous conclusion of the intelligence community.

First Trump-Putin summit has Cold War backdrop, U.S. allies nervous

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet for their first summit on July 16 in Helsinki, a venue famed for its Cold War diplomacy. The Kremlin and the White House simultaneously announced the place and date a day after reaching agreement for the two leaders to meet following a visit to Moscow by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.Trump will meet Putin after attending a July 11-12 summit of NATO leaders and a visit to Britain.

The Trump-Putin summit will be a waste of time

Don't get me wrong; I understand why the prospect of a sit-down seems sensible. Scheduled for July 16, in Helsinki, Finland, Trump hopes to win progress from Putin on issues related to Ukraine, Syria, Iran's nuclear program, Russian cyberactivity, and Russian breaches of United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

Trump-Putin summit to take place in Helsinki on July 16

The summit between US president Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will take place in Helsinki on July 16. The synchronised announcement by the Kremlin and the White House comes a day after Mr Trump's national security adviser John Bolton held talks with Russian officials in Moscow to lay the groundwork for the meeting in the capital of Finland. Mr Trump said on Wednesday that "getting along with Russia and with China and with everybody is a very good thing".

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy returns from overseas trip highlighting NATO

U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy has returned from an overseas trip with a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House and Senate. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, traveled to Belgium, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and France on a trip that focused on NATO and defense spending.

How to Talk to Strangers

As my colleague Priscilla Alvarez reported on Wednesday , the Republican nominee has made several comments in recent days that suggested he might be softening up his views, veering away from the hardline stance in which the only suitable solution to illegal immigration was a massive deportation of some 12 million people. Trump only deepened the mystery later that day.